Dr. Mark Dorfman
There are many paths that lead to veterinary school. For Mark Dorfman, D.V.M., (’87), the path started on horseback, early in life as a young competitive rider. Yet, his career trail would make an unexpected course correction along the way — from large animals to smaller ones. As part of his journey, Dorfman also discovered a passion for knowledge and training.
Marked by lifelong learning, his career path in veterinary medicine led Dorfman this year to establish the Dr. Mark Dorfman Endowed Residency Support Fund in Small Animal Internal Medicine. The $1 million-dollar endowment is the largest cash gift to the college from an alumnus.
“Education is one of the most important things you can have,” said Dorfman, a veterinary internal medicine specialist. “UF is where I trained from an undergrad through veterinary school, which gave me my start and the tools to be the veterinarian I am today.”
It was Dorfman’s love of horses that kept him focused on large animal medicine through his courses and clinical training at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine. Though, after a year of equine ambulatory practice in Northport, NY, he knew his true interest lay in the problem-solving diagnostics of internal medicine rather than working with horses. He shifted his focus to the investigative science and training he received at UF in internal medicine, which concentrated on health conditions such as kidney disease, diabetes, and gastrointestinal issues to name a few.
That decision led him to revisit academia and a commit to years of post-veterinary education and training — this time with smaller animals. He began with an internal medicine internship at Louisiana State University, which put him on a new course for a three-year residency program with a master’s in physiology in internal medicine at the University of Georgia.
Following his training and board certification as a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Dorfman built a small animal practice specializing in internal medicine. In 1999, he established Georgia Veterinary Specialists, a large veterinary specialist referral practice in the Atlanta area. He later merged with Blue Pearl Specialty & Emergency Pet Hospital in 2010, where he now serves as a regional vice president of medicine for the southeast region.
“Being an internist and specialist myself, I know training takes a lot of time and money and there aren’t enough specialists out there,” said Dorfman. “I felt this would be a good way to not only give back to UF but also to help train additional internists for the future, which are greatly needed.”
The UF small animal internal medicine residency program, aided by Dorfman’s generous support, offers a balanced approach to prepare veterinary residents for careers in academic veterinary medicine or specialty practice.
Dorfman’s gift will ensure that residents have access to resources and experiences that were previously beyond the college’s budget for the training program, said Andrew Specht, D.V.M., an internal medicine specialist and a clinical associate professor in small animal internal medicine at UF.
“Dr. Dorfman’s endowment will afford residents an opportunity to attend specific courses at national conferences to build the advanced clinical skills needed to be successful in any practice environment they choose,” Specht said.
The UF residency program currently supports three- to- four residents and is building capacity for six residents, he said, adding that emphasis is placed on clinical medicine, teaching, and clinical research — which adds a requirement for residents to publish several papers during the program.
“Our residents have been consistently successful in each of these aspects of the program with an impressive 100 percent rate for passing their board exams and achieving board certification,” Specht said.
Going forward, Specht said the service has plans to restructure and expand elements of the residency program, working to develop better training models and educational courses for residents. It is hoped that these new training opportunities will have an impact beyond UF, benefiting internal medicine residents in other programs as well as providing opportunities for practicing veterinarians to develop their clinical knowledge and skills in more advanced areas of internal medicine.
Beyond training specialists, Dorfman acknowledges his support of small animal medicine at UF was driven by an understanding of the deep bonds between animals and their families. Like his clients, he also shares that bond with his Doberman pinschers — Odin his current dog, and Titan who, though now passed away, is not forgotten.
“With all the advanced knowledge and specialized skills internists receive, their role remains constant — to improve animals’ quality of life and maybe extend life with quality,” said Dorfman, “and that happens every day at the UF Small Animal Hospital.”
